The country was a special place for the late Princess of Wales, who visited Pakistan three times shortly before her death in 1997.

On Tuesday, the couple went to the Islamabad Model College for Girls, where they met with kindergarten, grade four, and A-level students to discuss the importance of girls staying in school in a country where 49% of women never graduate.

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While speaking with students, one girl told William that the group were "big fans of your mother," according to royal reporters.

"You were, really? Oh, that’s very sweet of you. I was a big fan of my mother too," the Duke of Cambridge, 37, replied, smiling. "She came here three times. I was very small. This is my first time and it is very nice to be here and meet you all."

Really sweet moment when William is told the girls were ‘big fans of your mother’. He gave a broad, slightly wistful, smile and said: ‘ You were, really? Oh that’s very sweet of you. I was a big fan of my mother too. ’She came here three times. I was very small.’ pic.twitter.com/vTQ8imJguS

For the outing, Kate donned a vibrant cornflower blue, classic kurta with trousers and a scarf designed by local designer Maheen Khan. The Duchess of Cambridge, 37, also sported an emerald green Catherine Walker design -- her second of the trip -- with white trousers and a beautifully patterned green scarf for meetings with the heads of the Pakistani government.

The couple met with the president of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Avi, at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad and had lunch with Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

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Khan was a friend of Diana's and who first met William in 1996. Diana was also friends with Khan's former wife, Jemima, and there are several photos of the late royal with the couple from her various trips to Pakistan. At the time, Khan was a famous cricket player and told a young William that he planned to be Prime Minister one day.

"I never realized how difficult it was to become [test cricketer]," Khan told William on Tuesday, according to royal reporters. "Similarly, when I told you that I wanted to succeed, I didn't realize it would take me 22 years."

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Diana developed a fascination with Pakistan toward the end of her life while dating Dr. Hasnat Khan, a British-Pakastani heart surgeon whom she met in London. The pair split up just weeks prior to her death in 1997.